U.S. Federal Budget

Susan Walsh/Associated Press

News about the U.S. federal budget, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 31, 2015

Conservative Republicans are threatening to shut down government amid pledge to reject any spending bill that does not cut off funds for Planned Parenthood; point to videos alleging group sells fetal tissue for medical research; is latest example of ardent conservatives threatening shut down unless their policies are advanced. MORE

Jul. 31, 2015

Jul. 30, 2015

Congressional Memo; both House and Senate have failed to pass long-term bill to provide funds for highway construction, opting instead to pass or take up short-term bills that will continue funding until members of both chambers return from recess; failure points to internal divisions within Republican Party and possible obstacles to passing future legislation for funding of federal government and raising debt ceiling. MORE

Jul. 25, 2015

Editorial argues Army's plan to cut 40,000 troops from its force of 450,000 over period of two years is sensible and necessary move, despite alarm and political backlash that move has prompted; holds country can well meet its defense obligations with reduced numbers; supports fiscal savings and adherence to 2011 Budget Control Act as driving rationales for defense cuts. MORE

Jul. 23, 2015

Obama administration warns that 11 million people could face sudden and deep cuts in disability insurance benefits in late 2016 if Congress fails to replenish Social Security's disability trust fund; warning comes as part of annual report on financial condition of Medicare and Social Security, which combine to make up about 40 percent of federal spending; Republicans have been pushing for changes to Social Security's finance structure, including reductions in disability. MORE

Jul. 9, 2015

Congressional Budget Office reports that United States budget deficit diminished by $52 billion, or 14 percent, during first nine months of 2015 fiscal year. MORE

Jul. 8, 2015

Republicans in Congress are churning out spending bills aimed at dismantling many of Pres Obama's policies on varied issues, all of which stick to 2011 spending limit that Obama has said he will not accept; bills are setting up another fiscal battle that raises specter of another government shutdown. MORE

Jun. 30, 2015

Op-Ed article by Reed Watson and Scott Wilson highlights fact that National Park Service has extremely large backlog of deferred maintenance throughout national park system, cost of which has reached $11.5 billion; questions wisdom of Pres Obama adding more national parks and thereby stretching already strained maintenance budget; calls on Congress to pay deferred maintenance costs and to renew and expand federal agencies that take care of nation's parks. MORE

Jun. 22, 2015

Editorial warns economic growth is decelerating and falling far short of earlier projections; argues Congress has persistently undermined Federal Reserve's focus on investment by tightening nation's fiscal belt; argues what is truly needed is greater public and private investment in economy, particularly spending on roads, bridges, mass transit, railways and basic science. MORE

Jun. 19, 2015

Senate passes $600 billion defense policy bill and then immediately rejects measure to fund it as Democrats roll out first in series of strategic moves to force Republicans to reopen budget talks; bill included provisions to rein in pension costs, ban use of torture, and authorize lethal offensive weapons for Ukraine. MORE

Jun. 17, 2015

Annual health spending bill being drawn up in House of Representatives allows state officials to use federal money to fund drug treatment programs that include needle exchanges, marked shift in Republicans' long-held opposition to idea; shift has been inspired by outbreaks of AIDS and hepatitis in conservative states closely linked to heroin and other drug abuse. MORE

Jun. 11, 2015

Treasury Dept reports May budget deficit fell to $82.4 billion, from $130 billion in May 2014, but previous deficit was inflated as government mailed out $35 billion in June 2014 benefit payments during May due to calendar quirk. MORE

Jun. 9, 2015

Annual military policy bill on floor in Senate exemplifies how Sen John McCain is attempting to wield chairmanship of Armed Services Committee to advance long-held national security and domestic policy agendas; $600 billion bill would rein in escalating costs while granting increased leeway for military to manage its own programs and expenses; would also fund arms for Ukrainians under attack by Russian-backed separatists. MORE

May. 27, 2015

Eduardo Porter Economic Scene column examines whether government should seek return on its investment in basic scientific research, observing that change could potentially help stem decline in federal investment; notes that in era of tight budgets, public investment in research has declined significantly; cautions that some observers say proposal could also harm innovation. MORE

May. 24, 2015

Editorial urges Pres Obama to veto defense budget bill unless Congress abandons budgetary sleight-of-hand contained in bill and includes numbers of measures that could save billions of dollars. MORE

May. 22, 2015

House will take up vote on bill that sets aside $10 billion over five years for National Institutes of Health and some half a billion dollars for the FDA in effort to hasten approval of drugs and medical devices. MORE

May. 21, 2015

House Republicans' attempt to block endangered species protections for the sage grouse and two other birds as part of $612 billion military bill sets off major congressional skirmish; push, part of a broader Republican attempt to roll back environmental regulations, has outraged environmentalists and Western state constituents. MORE

May. 20, 2015

House of Representatives votes 387-to-35 in favor of two-month extension of funding for Highway Trust Fund, setting up summer fight over highway and other infrastructure funding; Senate is likely to pass stopgap measure. MORE

May. 20, 2015

Eduardo Porter Economic Scene column warns that America's peerless reputation for technological innovation rests on increasingly shaky ground; observes investment in research and development has flatlined in United States, even as rival nations increase their funding; attributes crisis to nadir in federal funding and a rising preference in corporate world to invest in marketable ideas rather than basic research. MORE

May. 17, 2015

Congress will consider overturning moratorium on federal support of needle exchanges, which began in 1988 as tough-on-drugs initiative with bipartisan support; severe outbreak of HIV and hepatitis in a number of states, attributed to a surge in heroin use, is behind push to eliminate ban and restore federal funding for needle exchange programs. MORE

May. 16, 2015

Derailment of Amtrak train in Philadelphia has made federal funding of Amtrak an issue for debate in Congress; Democrats are questioning Republicans' decision to cut funding and Republicans are raising questions about way millions in stimulus funds were spent. MORE

May. 16, 2015

House passes $612 billion annual military spending bill 269 to 151, in largely party line vote. MORE

May. 15, 2015

Democrats oppose amendments to National Defense Authorization Act, citing Republican effort to dedicate $39 billion toward emergency military fund that is insulated from spending cuts; argue that Pentagon budget should not be immune from spending cuts. MORE

May. 14, 2015

Democratic lawmakers' demands to increase federal funding for Amtrak are defeated in House panel one day after deadly railroad accident outside Philadelphia, as typical political scenario plays out; incident raises questions over whether Congress will delay mandate to install safety equipment on railway tracks by end of 2015. MORE

May. 13, 2015

Treasury Department reports April budget surplus of $156.7 billion, up from $106.9 billion in year-earlier period; surplus is the largest since April 2008. MORE

May. 11, 2015

Op-Ed article by Jason Furman, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, examines emerging research showing that large-scale social programs can yield substantial long-term benefits for poor children; observes that big data has produced findings that undercut skepticism about past programs, including notion that safety net discourages productivity; opposes budget cuts that would slash current programs. MORE

May. 6, 2015

Senate approves first joint congressional budget plan in six years; broad aspirations of proposal, which includes spending cuts, overhaul of poverty programs and repeal of the health care reform act, make it likely to fail when deliberations begin over legislation to carry out the changes. MORE

Apr. 30, 2015

Sen Bob Corker, Republican of Tennessee, lifts his blockade of House-Senate budget agreement that would cut $5 trillion in spending in next decade to balance federal budget. MORE

Apr. 29, 2015

Republican Sen Bob Corker of Tennessee single-handedly stops progress of House-Senate agreement that would deliver balanced budget, despite bipartisan clamor for more spending; refuses to sign agreement, citing what he calls a 'budget gimmick' that would allow for $190 billion in extra spending over 10-year period; Republican leaders call dispute temporary and express hopes for imminent final vote. MORE

Apr. 28, 2015

House and Senate Republicans agree on joint budget, first common Congressional spending plan in 10 years; proposed budget would increase military spending and take aim at Pres Obama's signature health care law; deal would also cut education and entitlement programs, like Medicare. MORE

Apr. 22, 2015

Op-Ed article by Newt Gingrich deplores how funding for National Institutes for Health has remained stagnant even as government spending on health care has increased significantly; highlights proposals by lawmakers that would encourage research and medical breakthroughs in number of areas; urges Congress to double NIH budget. MORE

Apr. 9, 2015

Editorial criticizes Congressional failure to appropriate funds for Food Safety Modernization Act; warns without reform, consumers will continue to be exposed to dangerous food-borne illness that results in roughly 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths annually; calls on lawmakers to find necessary resources, whether through user fees or appropriations. MORE

Apr. 8, 2015

Congress has appropriated less than half of $580 million requested by Congressional Budget Office to carry out changes required by Food Safety Modernization Act passed in 2010; law gives FDA new powers to prevent food poisoning outbreaks; at issue is resistance by food industry to paying user fees that help fund law. MORE

Mar. 28, 2015

Mar. 27, 2015

House votes 392 to 37 to approve sweeping changes to Medicare that would establish new formula for paying doctors, increase some premiums, and extend popular children's health insurance program; vote represents most significant bipartisan policy legislation in House since Republicans regained majority in 2011. MORE

Mar. 27, 2015

Senate has opened budget blueprint to unlimited number of amendments, with some 739 having surfaced at latest count; votes on nonbinding amendments will likely force chamber to remain in session throughout night, voting on budget by dawn. MORE

Mar. 26, 2015

House Republicans narrowly approve budget that increases military spending, but cuts domestic programs and starts to privatize Medicare; plan is to shrink government spending $5.5 trillion over next ten years. MORE

Mar. 26, 2015

House leaders of both parties are confident of passing bill with sweeping changes in Medicare; Congressional Budget Office says measure could add more than $140 billion to federal budget deficits in next decade. MORE

Mar. 25, 2015

Editorial suggests that resolution to debate among Republican lawmakers about increasing military budget will reveal much about party's claims to fiscal discipline in advance of 2016 presidential election; notes that some Republicans are hoping to increase military's budget through emergency war fund known as Overseas Contingency Operations account rather than include increase in budget itself. MORE

Mar. 24, 2015

The Upshot; 114th Congress's handling of budget resolution is likely to answer questions about Republican majority's ability to govern, three months into its term; process has already exposed tensions within Republican caucus, many of them rooted in disagreements about whether to challenge Pres Obama or to lay groundwork for Republican wave in 2016 election. MORE

Mar. 20, 2015

House Budget Committee votes to add $2 billion in additional 'emergency' war funding to budget that has raised combat funds by $38 billion; move sets up battle between Republican defense hawks and deficit hawks over budget limits and defense spending. MORE

Mar. 20, 2015

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column warns Republican-proposed budget represents new height in fiscal dishonesty; says promise of huge cuts in spending and revenue increases without explaining where money will come from is trend specific to new breed of Republican lawmakers; says budget would result in large transfer of income from poor and working class to rich and would leave United States several trillion dollars deeper in debt. MORE

Mar. 19, 2015

Senate Republicans release budget document that keeps tight limits on military spending and cuts trillions of dollars from health care and welfare; House Republicans are attempting to dodge spending caps by adding nearly $40 billion to military spending through 'emergency' war funding account; chart illustrates sharp contrasts between House and Senate Republican budget proposals and that of Obama administration. MORE

Mar. 18, 2015

Congressional Republicans introduce budget that slashes spending by $5.5 trillion over 10 years, balancing federal budget without raising taxes; plan relies on number of contortions, including deep cuts to federal programs, elimination of Affordable Care Act and assumptions of economic growth based on plan itself, in order to achieve aim while adding $40 billion in defense spending. MORE

Mar. 18, 2015

Editorial assesses budget resolution released by House Republicans and questions why Republicans continue to stick to tired themes of spending cuts and tax cuts, which will serve only to increase poverty and income inequality; notes that many of the spending cuts would disproportionately affect low- and modest-income Americans, and budget also would strip 16.4 million people of health insurance by repealing Affordable Care Act. MORE

Mar. 18, 2015

Spending channeled through tax code in form of credits, deductions, exemptions and the like is overwhelmingly targeted to benefit America's wealthiest tax payers; analysis by Corporation for Enterprise Development finds top 1 percent of earners in 2013 received more money back than bottom 80 percent combined; relentless pressure from Republican lawmakers has made tax code a primary driver of American social policy. MORE

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July 28, 2015, Tuesday

The Senate and House are moving toward a showdown over a must-pass transportation bill this week. If they don't reach an agreement by Friday, the government will be forced to halt highway aid payments to states in the middle of the summer...

The tax increases and spending cuts scheduled for the end of the year could cause a recession if they remain in effect through 2013, analysts say, but reversing them would add to the deficit. Decide for yourself which policies to keep and see the impact.